Washington State Facts - 50States.com Washington Facts and Trivia The state of Washington is the only state to be named after a United States president. Seattle is home to the first revolving restaurant in the 48 contiguous United States (and the second revolving restaurant in the world). Located atop the Space Needle, at a height of 500 feet above sea level, the restaurant was opened in 1961. Washington state produces more apples than any other state in the union. Washington state has more glaciers than the other 47 contiguous states combined. Washington state's capitol building was the last state capitol building to be built with a rotunda. Everett is the site of the world's largest building, Boeing's final assembly plant Medina is the home of the United States wealthiest man, Microsoft's Bill Gates. The Northwestern most point in the contiguous U.S. is Cape Flattery on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. King county the largest county in Washington was originally named after William R. King, Vice President under Franklin Pierce; it was renamed in 1986, after civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Microsoft Corporation is located in Redmond.

Before it became a state, the territory was called Columbia (named after the Columbia River). When it was granted statehood, the name was changed to Washington, supposedly so people wouldn't confuse it with The District of Columbia. The highest point in Washington is Mount Rainier. It was named after Peter Rainier, a British soldier who fought against the Americans in the Revolutionary War. The Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge at Evergreen Point is the longest floating bridge in the world. The bridge connects Seattle and Medina across Lake Washington. Washington is the birthplace of both Jimi Hendrix (Seattle) and Bing Crosby (Tacoma). The oldest operating gas station in the United States is in Zillah. Washington's state insect is the Green Darner Dragonfly. The world's first soft-serve ice cream machine was located in an Olympia Dairy Queen. Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle. Spokane was the smallest city in size to host a World's Fair. - 1974 The state capital is Olympia, and the largest city is Seattle. As of the 2000 census, the state population was approximately 5.9 million and the state work force numbered about 3.1 million.

Residents are called "Washingtonians" (emphasis on the third syllable, pronounced as tone). Washington is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west; Oregon to the south (the Columbia River forming most of this border); Idaho to the east and British Columbia, Canada to the north. Puget Sound's many islands are served by the largest ferry fleet in the United States. The forests of the Olympic Peninsula are among the rainiest places in the world and the only rainforests (such as the Hoh Rain Forest) in the continental United States The first European record of a landing on the Washington coast was by Spanish Captain Don Bruno de Heceta in 1775, on board the Santiago, part of a two-ship flotilla with the Sonora. The Lewis and Clark expedition entered the state on October 10, 1805. The first settlement in Washington was New Market (now known as Tumwater) in 1846. In 1853, Washington Territory was formed from part of Oregon Territory. Washington became the 42nd state in the United States on November 11, 1889.

Early prominent industries in the state included agriculture, lumber, shipping, fishing, salmon canning and mining. By the turn of the 20th century, Aberdeen had the distinction of being "the roughest town west of the Mississippi" because of excessive gambling, violence, extreme drug use and prostitution (the city remained off-limits to military personnel into the early 1980s). The region around eastern Puget Sound developed heavy industry during World War I and World War II, and the Boeing company became an established icon in the area. During the Great Depression, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed along the Columbia river as part of a project to increase the production of electricity. This culminated in 1941 with the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest dam in the United States. During World War II, Seattle was the point of departure for many soldiers in the Pacific, a number of which were quartered at Golden Gardens Park. In eastern Washington the Hanford Works atomic energy plant was opened in 1943 and played a major role in the construction of the nation's atomic bombs. In 1980, the northeast face of Mount St.

Helens exploded outward, destroying a large part of the top of the volcano. As of 2004, Washington's population included 631,500 foreign-born (10.3% of the state population), and an estimated 100,000 illegal aliens (1.6% of state population). The six largest reported ancestries in Washington are: German (18.7%), English (12%), Irish (11.4%), Norwegian (6.2%), Mexican (5.6%) and Filipino (3.7%). Washington is home to many innovative Internet companies, including Amazon.com, Classmates.com, Whitepages.com, and Marchex. The percentage of non-religious people in Washington is the highest of any state, and church membership is among the lowest of all states. The state of Washington is one of only seven states that does not levy a personal income tax. Property tax was the first tax levied in the state of Washington and its collection accounts for about 30 percent of Washington's total state and local revenue. In 2004 Washington ranked first in the nation in production of red raspberries (90.0% of total U.S.

production), hops (75.0%), apples (58.1%), sweet cherries (47.3%), pears (42.6%), Concord grapes (39.3%), and Niagara grapes (31.6%). There are 140 public airfields in Washington, including 16 state airports. Washington is home to four of the five longest floating bridges in the world: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and Homer M. Hadley Bridge over Lake Washington, and the Hood Canal Bridge connecting the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. Three ships of the United States Navy, including two battleships, have been named USS Washington in honor of the state. United Airlines was originally owned by the Boeing Airplane Company. Popular games Pictionary, Pickle-ball, and Cranium were all invented in Washington. The town of Artic was to be named 'Arta' after the wife of the town founder. The application was misread and resulted in the unusual spelling of the word Artic.

Thanks to: Gerald Moon, Cindy, Daniel Berman, MHus915910, Paul Dexter, Megan Moench, Phillip Buff Washington, D.C.: How Did the City Get Its Name? How Washington, D.C., got its name The city was named by the three commissioners, charged with supervising the construction of the public buildings, at one of their then monthly meetings on September 8, 1791. These three men were recently appointed by President Washington. Secretary of State Jefferson came down from the capital in Philadelphia to present the agenda of what the President wanted the commissioners to decide. Selecting the name for the city was one item and Washington told Jefferson to assure the commissioners that they had complete freedom. Of course, everyone knew that the city would be named after Washington. One name bruited about Philadelphia before the meeting was "Washingtonople." Jefferson described the meeting in a letter to Washington: the commissioners were "preadmonished that it was your desire that they should decide freely on their own view of things." No matter: "they concurred unanimously in...

every point with what had been thought best in Philadelphia." The commissioners named the city "Washington." They also had to name the ten mile square, mandated by the Constitution, that the the city was in. In 1791 there were already two existing towns in that ten mile square, Georgetown and Alexandria. They chose the name "Columbia." As far as I can ascertain there was no debate about "Columbia" either. During the Revolution, Columbia was hailed as the goddess protecting America against Britannia. For example Phyllis Wheatley sent a poem to General Washington in 1775, and it was published in the Pennsylvania Magazine in 1776, which contained these passages: "Celestial choir! enthron'd in realms of light, Columbia's scenes of glorious toils I write. While freedom's cause her anxious breast alarms, She flashes dreadful in refulgent arms.... Fix'd are the eyes of nations on the scales, For in their hopes Columbia's arm prevails. Anon Britannia droops the pensive head, While round increase the rising hills of dead. Ah! cruel blindness to Columbia's state! Lament thy thirst of boundless power too late.

Proceed, great chief, with virtue on thy side, Thy ev'ry action let the goddess guide. A crown, a mansion, and a throne that shine, With gold unfading,Washington be thine." In 1784 Washington wrote to Lafayette's wife: "When the weight of so powerful an advocate is on our side, will you My Dr. Marchioness deny us the pleasure of accompanying him to the shores of Columbia?" During this period the many counties and cities named Columbia got their names. So if one were to create a district which would represent all of the United States of America, the name everyone seemed to agree on was "Columbia." In the competition for the capital, some Pennsylvanians planned a city on the Susquehanna to be named Columbia. In letters, debates and official documents the ten mile square along the Potomac was called the "Federal District." However, officially the congress met in "The City of Washington in the Territory of Columbia." In the early debates in Congress about the city, both names were used.

Take this example in 1803 the House turned to the affairs of the "District of Columbia" and began discussing a bill to return portions of the "Territory of Columbia" to Virginia. I suppose the "Territory of Columbia" was no longer used after the District lost what home rule it had in the second half of the 19th century. Bob Arnebeck Tennessee History for Kids This is a replica of the Capitol of the state of Franklin, in Greeneville. In search of the state of Franklin We take for granted that our state is called Tennessee, that it was formed in 1796, and that it was the 16th state admitted to the union. But the story was nearly a whole lot different. The people who lived in what is now upper east Tennessee originally formed a state called Franklin. In 1784, they elected a governor and a legislature; wrote a constitution; and began going about the business of running their affairs (collecting taxes, holding courts, raising an army as needed against the hostile Native American tribes of the day).

Had the state of North Carolina not been bitterly opposed to the formation of the new state, Franklin almost certainly would have been accepted into the union by the Continental Congress. But because of North Carolina's opposition, the proposal to accept Franklin failed to be approved by Congress. Franklin later ceased to exist, becoming a footnote in history and one of the more vivid examples of the failure of the short-lived American confederation government. On this virtual tour we will take you to the state of Franklin. The North Carolina state capitol When it comes to the American Revolution, your textbook talks about things that happened in places like Boston, Philadelphia, and Yorktown. But it is important to remember that one of the main reasons for the American Revolution was King George III's order, as stated in the Proclamation of 1763, that the colonists go no further west than the Appalachian Mountains. London being a long way from these mountains, thousands of settlers ignored his demand and moved into what is now upper east Tennessee in the 1770s and 1780s. They also played a huge role in the outcome of the revolution by defeating a British army at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

After the American Revolution, North Carolina claimed land that went all the way west to the Mississippi River -- but that state couldn't afford to defend all that territory. When the Revolutionary War ended, these settlers needed protection against Native American tribes, and the closest thing to an established government that these settlers had was the government of North Carolina. But -- for the same reasons King George III was reluctant to do so -- North Carolina didn't want to incur the expense of sending its militia to defend a bunch of frontier families moving further and further into lands claimed by Native American tribes. In the summer of 1784 the government of North Carolina voted to "give" this land to Congress. Then, after a new election, the North Carolina government rescinded that act and reclaimed this territory. The settlers west of the mountains weren't sure what to make of this sequence of events. But they didn't feel safe, depending entirely on the North Carolina government for their security. Sevier Concerned that the appearance of chaos would lead to hostile Native American attacks, frontier leaders acted quickly to fill the void. On August 23, 1784, about 50 frontier leaders met in Jonesborough and signed a document declaring themselves independent from North Carolina.

Within months they had formed a loose government that had set up a court system and a militia, presided over by John Sevier, who had been one of the heroes of the Battle of Kings Mountain four years earlier. In December the elected representatives held a convention at a church in Jonesborough. There they wrote a constitution (borrowing heavily from the North Carolina constitution), elected Sevier as their governor, and named the state Franklin after America's elder statesman Benjamin Franklin. William Cocke, one of the authors of the new Constitution, was appointed the rather difficult task of going to Washington and convincing the Continental Congress to admit Franklin as a state. Now the story takes a strange turn: Having flirted around with the idea of giving its western lands away only a few months earlier, the government of North Carolina was angry at the western settlers for declaring their independence.

In fact, the North Carolina legislature wanted to send troops to punish the rebellious people who lived in the state of Franklin, but North Carolina Governor Alexander Martin, remembering how well these settlers had fought at Kings Mountain, cautioned that "we shall need far more troops than are enlisted in our entire militia." Instead the North Carolina government issued and published five thousand copies of a "manifesto" that urged the frontiersmen to "return to the embrace of North Carolina." The residents of the state of Franklin ignored this manifesto. In the spring of 1785 William Cocke made his presentation to Congress. On behalf of his fellow settlers he asked Congress to admit Franklin as the 14th state. Needing 9 affirmative votes, the state of Franklin got 7 -- those being Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Georgia. (States that voted "no" did so mainly because of North Carolina's opposition.) Cocke was discouraged, but felt Congress would agree at some point in the future. Undaunted, the government of the state of Franklin kept on -- forming a permanent capital (Greeneville) and authorizing the issuance of money (although no coins by the state of Franklin apparently still exist).

Originally consisting of three counties, by the end of 1786 Franklin had eight: Greene, Sullivan, Washington, Sevier, Blount, Spencer, Caswell and Wayne. These counties were formed because the population was growing so fast: in the latter part of 1785 and the first part of 1786, an estimated 10,000 families migrated from North Carolina and Virginia into the state of Franklin (This was about the time that Andrew Jackson moved to Tennessee.) The most extreme example of this growth was White's Fort, a community started in early 1786 which, by the end of its first year of existence, had more than 2,000 people living there! (Later this community became known as Knoxville.) Here are some more interesting things about the state of Franklin: This is a good book about the state of Franklin * Franklin was originally known as "Frankland." Apparently Sevier changed the name in an attempt to lure support from Ben Franklin -- arguably the most popular American alive at that time. But this happened so fast that many books about the state of Franklin make no mention of its original name. * Paper and coin money never took hold in Franklin.

According to one account, the Franklin legislature spelled out a system of exchange using animal skins. The governor of the state of Franklin got a salary of 1,000 deer skins; the chief justice 500 deer skins; the governor's secretary 500 raccoon skins; and the treasurer 450 otter skins. * Ministers of the gospel and lawyers were both barred from public office under the Franklin constitution. CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT: Apparently, the state of Franklin didn't get around to adopting a flag. Here's a fun assigment: draw one out, knowing what you know about the history of Franklin. The Haynes-Tipton home in Johnson City In the end, however, the state of Franklin was doomed by events within and outside its borders. To the west, battles with Native Americans were becoming fierce, mainly because so many of the immigrants were settling on land still claimed by tribes (most notably the Cherokee). There were also people inside the state of Franklin who were loyal to North Carolina. The most important of these was John Tipton, who lived in present-day Johnson City.

When the leaders of the state of Franklin began to flirt with the idea of an alliance with Spain (remember -- Spain still dominated trade along the Mississippi River), North Carolina sent troops into Franklin, camping out on Tipton's estate. From February 27-29, 1788, troops loyal to Franklin actually confronted troops loyal to North Carolina; two people died in what is sometimes referred to as the "Battle of the Lost State of Franklin." But, in truth, neither North Carolina nor Franklin's leaders wanted bloodshed, and this brief military engagement marked the end of the state of Franklin. John Sevier turned himself in to North Carolina's authorities and was immediately restored to his rank of general in the North Carolina militia. Soon he and his fellow frontiersmen were overwhelmed with a series of Indian Wars that took place at many points along the western frontier. This was the Capitol of Franklin (before it was torn down) PHOTO: TN State Library & Archives After the demise of the state of Franklin, the state of North Carolina decided to honor all property transactions, court decisions and marriages authorized by Franklin -- the closest thing to official recognition that the state ever had. Shortly thereafter, North Carolina deeded its western lands over to the federal government.

So what's left of the state of Franklin? Not much, really. Almost none of the official government records of the state of Franklin have survived (which is why we don't even know the names of the people who met and declared the state independent in the first place). For years, the log cabin that functioned as its capitol building was left standing. In 1897, it was dismantled and reassembled in Nashville as a part of the Tennessee Centennial celebration. But for some reason the logs never made their way back to Greeneville -- which means the capitol of the Lost State of Franklin was, well, lost. John Sevier, the governor of Franklin, would later be the first governor of Tennessee. The failed attempt to form the state of Franklin did, however, have an important outcome: it was one of many incidents that proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the government established by the Articles of Confederation did not work. As representatives of the 13 states worked hard on a new Constitution, they addressed the issues of new states in an attempt to make certain that nothing like Franklin could ever happen again.

Under the new Constitution, the American government formed two territories out of the frontier -- one south of the Ohio River (known as the Southwest Territory) and one north of the Ohio River (known as the Northwest Territory). Tennessee was one of the states eventually carved out of the Southwest Territory. " We love the booklets you all have provided! What a terrific resource to use in learning about our great state of Tennessee. " About Washington State -- Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers - HistoryLink.org About Washington State -- Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers By Walt Crowley Tweet This essay offers a brief introduction to the state of Washington, its jurisdictional development and government, and its official symbols. The State of Washington occupies the far northwest corner of the contiguous 48 United States. It occupies 66,582 square miles (176,600 square kilometers) between the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Idaho border at 117 degrees longitude. Washington borders Canada on the north along the 49th parallel and Oregon on the south along the Columbia River and 46th parallel. In area, Washington ranks as the 20th largest state and embraces dramatically variegated western and eastern natural environments divided by the Cascade Range.

It is home to some six million residents (2001 census estimate) employed in a diverse economy dominated by aviation; software and other technological enterprises; wheat, apples, beans, and other agriculture; forest products; and fishing. The state is a major exporter of manufactured goods, foodstuffs, raw materials, and hydroelectricity, and it is a popular tourist destination. In 2000, the U.S. Department of Commerce estimated Washington’s gross state product at $220 million. Present-day Washington has been home to numerous Native American tribes for at least 10,000 years. The first European explorers and traders visited it the late 1700s, and Lewis and Clark followed the Snake River and Columbia River to arrive at the Pacific Ocean near present-day Long Beach in November 1805. The Hudson’s Bay Company established major forts and trading stations in the early 1800s, followed by American fur traders, settlers, and missionaries. Great Britain and the United States jointly occupied the region between 1818 and 1846, when Britain ceded the Pacific Northwest below the 49th parallel to the U.S.

Two years later, the U.S. created Oregon Territory, including the future states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and a portion of Montana. Washington Territory (including Idaho and western Montana until 1863) was separated from Oregon on March 2, 1853, and gained statehood on November 11, 1889. Olympia has served as the capital of both Washington Territory and State since 1853. Seattle is the state’s most populous city (population 563,000 in 2000), followed in rank by Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, and Everett. Political History The federal government created Oregon Territory on August 14, 1848. The area of the new jurisdiction included the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 triggered a large westward migration, and settlement of Oregon Territory was promoted by passage of the Donation Land Claims Act of 1850, which granted 160 acres to any U.S. citizen who agreed to occupy his or her land for five years.

On August 29, 1851, 27 male settlers met at Cowlitz Landing (south of present-day Olympia) to petition Congress for a separate “Columbia Territory” covering the area between the Columbia River and 49th parallel. The petition was reaffirmed by 44 delegates who met in Monticello on November 25, 1852. Congress approved the new territory on February 10, 1853, but changed its name to “Washington.” President Millard Fillmore signed the bill on March 2, 1853, and Olympia was named the Territorial Capital. President Franklyn Pierce named Isaac I. Stevens as the first governor of an area that included northern Idaho and western Montana until President Abraham Lincoln established Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863. Washington’s non-Indian population grew steadily to more than 300,000 over the following decades. Its residents began petitioning for statehood in 1881, and Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, with the signature of President Benjamin Harrison.

Political Organization Thirty federally recognized sovereign Indian tribes and reservations occupy substantial areas in Washington, and there are an additional seven unrecognized but culturally distinct tribes. Washington has a bicameral Legislature and is divided into 49 Legislative Districts, each of which elects one Senator to a four-year term, and two Representatives to two-year terms. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, Commissioner of Public Lands, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Insurance Commissioner are elected statewide to four-year terms. The nine members of the State Supreme Court are elected statewide to six-year terms. Washington’s State Constitution has been substantially amended since 1889, and has authorized citizen initiatives and referenda since 1912. Washington currently includes 39 counties, and hundreds of incorporated cities and other special districts responsible for local government and services. Voters also elect Members of Congress from 10 districts as well as two United States Senators representing the entire state. State Emblems and Anthems State Motto: The word “Alki,” preferably pronounced “AL-kee,” means “by and by” in the Chinook trading jargon used by early Euro-American traders and Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

It was first applied in 1852 by Charles Terry to his settlement (originally called “New York” after his native state) on present-day Alki Beach in West Seattle. Alki was adopted in the original Territorial Seal, which also features a representation of the “Goddess of Good Hope,” an anchor, and a depiction of buildings in a forest. State Seal: The official State Seal features a likeness of President George Washington adapted in 1967 by graphic designer Richard Nelms from the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait. The first 1889 version of the seal was quickly created by jeweler George Talcott, who placed a postage stamp bearing Washington’s picture inside two rings traced from an ink bottle and a silver dollar. Talcott’s brothers then wrote “Great Seal of the State of Washington 1889” between the two circles, and cut a die for printing. State Flag: Washington adopted its official flag, featuring the State Seal on a green background, in 1923. State Nickname: The phrase “The Evergreen State” appears on Washington license plates and in numerous official and unofficial uses, but it has never been formally adopted. Historian and journalist C. T.

Connover is credited with coining it. State Song: Washington’s official anthem is the highly forgettable ditty, “Washington, My Home,” with lyrics by Helen Davis and music by Stuart Churchill. Adopted in 1959, the song succeeded the unofficial anthem “Washington Beloved,” penned by University of Washington professor Edmund Meany and scored by Reginald de Koven. Alas, a campaign to substitute the rock classic “Louie Louie” (first popularized by the Tacoma-based band, The Wailers) failed in the 1980s. State Folk Song: Woody Guthrie wrote his famous ballad, “Roll On Columbia, Roll On” to promote the cause of public power for the Bonneville Power Administration in the early 1940s. The Legislature adopted it as the state’s official folk song in 1987. State Dance: The square dance (or quadrille) was named the official state dance on April 17, 1979. State Animals State Amphibian: The Pacific chorus frog became the official state amphibian on July 22, 2007.

State Mammal: It took until 2009, but in that year, at the suggestion of students from Wedgwood School in Seattle, the State Legislature designated the Olympic marmot (Marmota olympus) as Washington's official "endemic mammal." The marmots are social animals and live in groups of more than a dozen members at various locations on the Olympic Peninsula in Western Washington. They socialize and identify one another by touching noses and sniffing cheeks, and during the summer months spend most of their time eating and sunbathing before retiring to underground burrows. After coming out of a long hibernation that stretches from September to May, they can commonly be seen along Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. State Marine Mammal: We also have a state marine mammal, the orca. The campaign to designate the orca as such was initiated by a second-grade class in Oak Harbor, Washington. The class at Crescent Harbor Elementary School proposed the orca and gathered more than 1,000 signatures to present to the state Legislature.

The Legislature passed the bill and Governor Christine Gregoire signed iton April 24, 2005, making the killer whale the official state marine mammal. State Bird: The present official state bird, the western or American goldfinch, aka “wild canary” (Carduelis tristis) was formally adopted in 1951 based on a special election among state school children. The first such election resulted in the designation of the meadowlark in 1928, but seven other states had already chosen the same species. A later election conducted by the Washington Federation of Women’s Clubs gave the nod to the goldfinch (over the tanager, pileated woodpecker, junco, and other worthy candidates), and the State Legislature officially anointed the bright yellow bird in 1951. A later campaign to give the state bird honor to the geoduck (actually an obscenely large and grotesque clam) failed. State Insect: The green darner dragonfly (Anax junius drury) was approved by the Legislature in 1997 as a result of a campaign spearheaded by students at the Crestwood Elementary School in Kent.

More than 25,000 students from some 100 schools participated in the final vote to name the ubiquitous carnivorous bug, also known commonly as a “mosquito hawk.” State Fish: The Legislature named the steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss ) the official state fish in 1969. Like other “anadromous” fish, this relative of the salmon is born in freshwater streams, then migrates to saltwater where it spends most of its adult life. Unlike salmon, steelheads may return more than once to their birthplace streams to spawn before dying. State Mollusk: No official designee, yet, but many favor the banana slug. This could be the geoduck’s second chance for immortality as well, but HistoryLink favors the magnificent Giant Pacific Octopus, which is the largest of its kind and also the most intelligent of all invertebrates. State Plants and More State Vegetable The Walla Walla sweet onion became the official state vegetable on Sunday July 22, 2007.

State Flower: The Coast Rhododendron was selected over five other candidates (including clover) to be Washington’s floral representative at the 1893 Columbia Exposition in Chicago. The 1892 special ballot was limited to women, who did not then have the right to vote in official elections. State Tree: Washington adopted the western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) as its state tree in 1947, after being teased by the Portland Oregonian for its glaring lack of a sylvan symbol. State Fruit: The apple, one of Washington’s leading agricultural exports, was adopted in 1989 as part of the statehood centennial celebration. State Grass: The native bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum) was named the official state grass in 1989. The other popular candidate for this honor remains illegal except for medicinal use. State Fossil: The extinct Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) was named the official state fossil in 1998 at the urging of students at Cheney’s Windsor Elementary School.

These giant furry cousins of modern elephants roamed most of northern Asia, Europe, and North America until approximately 10,000 years ago, and their remains have been unearthed at many locations in Washington. State Gem: Petrified wood was named the official state gem in 1975. Many specimens of ancient cypress, oak, elm, and gingko trees were preserved through lava flows and infiltration with sand over millions of years, and a rich deposit of these fossils can be found in the Gingko Petrified Forest State Park near Vantage. State Ship: The container ship President Washington was christened as Washington’s official ship in 1983 to recognize the regional importance of maritime trade. In 2007 the Lady Washington was named Washington's official ship. The 112-foot brig was built in Aberdeen as a full scale reproduction of the original Lady Washington that became the first American vessel to visit the West Coast of North America in 1788 under the command of Captain Robert Gray. The new Lady Washington was built by Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority and launched on March 7, 1989.

State Tartan: In 1988, Vancouver residents Margaret McLeod van Nus and Frank Cannonita designed a distinctive tartan (a grid of intersecting bands of color on a solid background based on traditional Gaelic weaves) to help celebrate the following year’s centennial of Washington’s statehood. The red, white, blue, yellow, and green pattern was officially adopted by the Legislature in 1991. Seal of Territory of Washingon (1853) Courtesy Washington State Legislature Milestones: 1830–1860 - Office of the Historian Milestones: 1830–1860 The Oregon Territory, 1846 Along with territorial disputes with Spain and Mexico over the Southwest, the fate of the Oregon Territory was one of the major diplomatic issues of the first half of the 19th century. Landscape in Oregon Country (Charles Marion Russell) The territory became a focus of those who believed that it was the United States’ obligation and right to extend its rule and liberties across the North American continent. The Oregon Territory stretched from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains, encompassing the area including present-day Oregon, Washington, and most of British Columbia.

Originally Spain, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States claimed the territory. In 1819, under terms of the Transcontinental Treaty, Spain ceded its claims to the territory to the United States . Shortly thereafter the United States contested a unilateral Russian move to grant its citizens a fishing, whaling, and commercial monopoly from the Bering Straits to the 51st parallel. In 1823 President Monroe promulgated his doctrine , which put Russia on notice that the United States did not accept Russian attempts at monopoly. The U.S. claim was based on the explorations of Lewis and Clark and on the establishment of trading posts set up by John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, such as Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River. Great Britain based its claim, in part, on James Cook’s exploration of the Columbia River. John Jacob Astor As early as 1818 British and American Commissioners had fixed the border between the United States and Canada at the 49th parallel from the Lake of the Woods (Minnesota Territory) west to the Rocky Mountains.

The United States had proposed to extend the border along the same parallel to the Pacific Ocean, but Great Britain insisted that the northern border be drawn west to the Columbia River and then follow that river to the ocean. Neither side then budged, but they did agree to postpone the decision for 10 years. In 1827 Washington and London agreed to postpone the issue indefinitely subject to one year’s notice by either party. There the matter remained until the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 partially delineated the northeastern U.S.-Canada border, but left the border of the Oregon Territory unsettled. By 1843, increased American immigration on the Oregon Trail to the Territory made the border issue a burning one in Congress, where jingoists raised the slogan of “54 degrees 40 minutes or fight.” President James Polk, a supporter of Manifest Destiny with an eye also on the Mexican Southwest and California, was eager to settle the boundary of the Oregon Territory and proposed a settlement on the 49 degree line to Great Britain. British Minister to Washington, Richard Pakenham, and Secretary of State James Buchanan, supported and encouraged by British Foreign Secretary Lord Aberdeen and Senator John C.

Calhoun of South Carolina, worked out a compromise. With some minor modifications, which reserved the whole of Vancouver Island to Canada, Great Britain agreed to Polk’s suggestion. The Senate ratified the treaty by a vote of 41-14 on June 18, 1846. A later controversy over the precise boundaries in the Juan de Fuca Strait was resolved by international arbitration in favor of the United States. Um, could you be a little more specific? Photo by Jupiterimages/Thinkstock. The Washington state Legislature approved gay marriage Wednesday. When Gov. Chris Gregoire signs the bill into law, her state will become the second Washington to recognize gay marriage since Washington, D.C., did so in 2009 . Why do we have two Washingtons? Because it’s better than having two Columbias.

The commission tasked with delineating the new national capital in 1791 named it the “ Territory of Columbia .” (Federal statutes vacillated between calling the area a “territory” and a “district” for decades, with the latter becoming the official title in 1871.) When settlers in northern Oregon asked the government to establish an independent “ Columbia Territory ” in 1852, Congress faced a problem. Speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, Kentucky Democrat Richard Henry Stanton noted, “We already have a Territory of Columbia.” The confusion could intensify, he added, if the new territory were to add a city called Washington or Georgetown. Congress agreed to grant the settlers independence from Oregon, but named their new state Washington to honor the first president. Contemporary statesmen would have argued that Washington, D.C., was a city, not a territory or state, so the duplication of the name wouldn't be such a big deal. There were already lots of localities that shared names with states, such as Florida, N.Y. , and Georgia, Vt ., not to mention cities that have the same name as their own state, like New York City and Delaware City.

By the mid-19th century, there were already dozens of place names that included the word Washington, and there are at least 120 today . (The first was Fort Washington—now known as Washington Heights—established in New York during the Revolutionary War.) Advertisement The name of the Washington Territory became a public issue again when the territorial government petitioned for statehood in the 1880s, although duplication was only one element of the discussion. Prominent lawyer David Dudley Field II —most famous for the reformation and codification of the country’s arcane court procedures—kicked off a nationwide renaming movement with a wonderfully colorful speech to the American Geographic Society in 1885. Field argued that native names invariably sound better than the settlers’ alternatives: “What a name is New York for this queen of Western cities! Compare it with that which the Indian gave it, barbarian as we call him, Manhattan or Manahatta. Who for its euphony and its significance would not wish the old name back again?” Field singled out the place names Tombstone, Wild Cat, Rawhide, and Dirt Town, among a few others, as “disgusting” and suggestive of “semi-barbarous” residents.

Field also pointed out that naming places after prominent people has led to duplication and confusion. He noted, “I make my boast that I am an American ... but the Brazilians and the Peruvians claim also to be Americans, and the claim cannot be denied.” Field urged the government avoid this mistake by converting the Washington Territory into the state of Tacoma. (Field also objected to the cardinal directions in the names of North and South Dakota, which were petitioning for statehood at the same time, and sought to change the name of the New Mexico Territory to “Sonora.”) Residents of the Washington territory resisted Field’s proposals for name reform. Washingtonians—those from the state, not the city—thought Field’s argument was bunk. One letter-writer pointed out, “it would be a stupid postal clerk , indeed, who would fail to distinguish” between Washington, D.C., and Washington state. These arguments, paired with sheer inertia, carried the day. By establishing a state of Washington, Congress belatedly fulfilled a century-old wish of the late Thomas Jefferson. In 1784, a Jefferson-chaired committee suggested that Congress divide the Northwest Territory into 10 states, for which Jefferson suggested names.

Most of modern-day Ohio was to be called Washington state. (Washington, D.C., didn’t exist at the time, so the name wouldn’t have been duplicative.) Incidentally, if Congress had accepted Jefferson’s naming scheme in its entirety, modern-day Michiganders would be living in either Metropotamia or Chersonesus, depending on their location. People in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois would be residents of Assenispia. Advertisement Got a question about today’s news? Ask the Explainer . Explainer thanks Jennifer Kilmer of the Washington State Historical Society. * * * Good news! The Explainer is about to deliver a much-needed bundle of explanation to one lucky reader's doorstep. We've selected five finalists from our reader-submitted, explanatory squabbles, one of which will be resolved in a special "House Call" edition of the column next week. Help decide which dispute is most deserving of the Explainer’s attention by voting on Facebook before Tuesday. Arguments, prepare to be resolved! Advertisement

Question: Which US state was originally going to be called the 'Territory of Columbia'?
Answer: WASHINGTON